ISLAMABAD: On the National Minority Day, Saturday Aug. 11, the Pakistani leadership appreciated the contribution of religious minorities and vowed the equality and protection of the rights for minorities.
“August 11, is a special day in our national calendar, when we reaffirm our commitment to the ideals of Quaid-e-Azam (the founder of Pakistan) to continue strive for the protection of the rights of followers of all faiths and bring them into the mainstream of national life,” caretaker Prime Minister Nasir-ul Mulk said in his message.
He added: “History reveals that the Muslims always strived for the rights of minorities.
“Let us reiterate today that we will uphold the ideals of equal rights and complete freedom to every citizen to freely profess and practice his or her religion.”
The prime minister said the Pakistani nation greatly appreciates and acknowledges the huge contributions made by our minorities toward the country’s socio-economic development. “Being equal citizens of Pakistan, we share our joys and sorrows jointly. The observance of this day reflects our national commitment to unite and to integrate people of all faiths in the national life.”
In a separate message President Mamnoon Hussain said Aug. 11 was the day to reiterate this national cause and renewal of political resolve.
He said several attempts had been made in the past to harm national unity by inciting communal differences, but he was satisfied that such unfortunate incidents were totally rejected by the minority community.
“This is the strength of Pakistani society, which has helped the State in eliminating such miscreant elements,” the president said.
Pakistan observes national minority day, vows to protect their rights
Pakistan observes national minority day, vows to protect their rights
- Prime minister said Pakistani nation appreciates and acknowledges huge contributions made by minorities toward country’s socio-economic development
- Government vowed to uphold equal rights and complete freedom to every citizen to freely profess and practice his or her religion
Pakistan welcomes Afghan scholars’ reported resolution against use of soil for cross-border attacks
- Around 1,000 Afghan scholars passed a resolution this week prohibiting use of Afghan soil for cross-border attacks against another country, Afghan media reported
- Development takes place as tensions persist between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid Islamabad’s allegations of Taliban supporting cross-border attacks against it
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Thursday welcomed a resolution reportedly passed by Afghan scholars against allowing the use of Afghan soil for attacks against any other country, but still demanded written assurances of the same from the Afghan leadership.
According to a report published by Afghan news channel Tolo News, around 1,000 Afghan scholars gathered in Kabul on Wednesday to pass a resolution that, among other things, said no one will be allowed to use Afghanistan’s soil against other countries for attacks. The resolution also said that if anyone fails to comply with this decision, the Afghan government has the right to take action against them.
The development takes place as tensions persist between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both countries have engaged in border clashes since October, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harboring militants that launch attacks on Pakistan.
Afghanistan denies the allegation and says it cannot be held responsible for Pakistan’s security.
Speaking to reporters during a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said he had not seen the full text of the resolution.
“Any developments with regards to the fact that Afghan leadership, the segment of Afghan society, realized the gravity of the situation that their soil is being used by not just TTP, but also by their own nationals to perpetrate terrorism in Pakistan — any realization to this effect is positive and one would certainly welcome it,” Andrabi said.
However, he said similar commitments by Kabul on preventing cross-border attacks have been made in the past but were not honored.
Pakistan and Kabul engaged in a series of peace talks in Istanbul and Doha recently after their deadly border clashes in October. Andrabi pointed out that Islamabad had insisted on getting written assurances from the Afghan leadership that they would prevent Afghan soil from being used by the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. However, he said Islamabad had not received any.
He said the resolution by Afghan scholars does not qualify as a proper written assurance from Kabul as it does not explicitly mention Pakistan or the Pakistani Taliban.
’NO FORMAL EXTRADITION TREATY’
Commenting on media reports of Islamabad seeking extradition of certain individuals from the UK, Andrabi confirmed that there exists no formal extradition treaty between Pakistan and the UK. However, he said cases can still be processed individually.
“In the absence of a formal treaty, the extradition cases can be processed on a case-to-case basis,” the FO spokesperson said. “And certain cases were submitted to the British High Commission in Islamabad for their consideration.”
Pakistan last week asked the UK to extradite two prominent pro-Imran Khan figures, former accountability aide Shehzad Akbar and YouTuber-commentator Adil Raja, saying they were wanted on charges of anti-state propaganda.
The issue had been brought up during Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s meeting with British High Commissioner Jane Marriott in Islamabad. The Interior Ministry said Naqvi had formally handed over Pakistan’s extradition documents, requesting that Raja and Akbar be returned to Pakistan without delay.
